Locking means between compressor and turbine



Aug. 7, 1956 5, s, s vm, JR 2,757,857

LOCKING MEANS BETWEEN COMPRESSOR AND TURBINE Original Filed June 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 7, 1956 ss vm, JR 2,757,857

LOCKING MEANS BETWEEN COMPRESSOR AND TURBINE Original Filed June 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent l LOCKING ME'ANS BETWEEN COMPRESSOR AND TURBINE Bennett '5. Savin, Jr., Glastonbury, Conn., assignor to United Aircraft Corporation, East Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Claims. (Cl. 230-116) The present invention relates to an arrangement for locking the compressor and turbine rotors of a gas turbine power plant together. This is a division of application Serial No. 232,398, filed June 19, 1951, now Patent No. 2,738,125.

In many gas turbine constructions, in facilitating the assembly of the power plant, it is necessary to fasten the compressor and turbine rotors together by a structure located within the rotor shafts, the arrangement being such that the locking means is accessible through either the compressor or turbine rotor. A feature of this invention is an arrangement by which to hold the rotors together with an arrangement for locking the holding means in position to prevent accidental disengagement.

Another feature of the invention is an arrangement of the holding means such that disengagement of the holding means will urge the two rotors apart to make disassembly easier.

Another feature is the construction of the holding means as a part of one of the rotors so that it becomes a part of the rotor assembly and may be balanced with the rotor.

The holding means which keeps the rotors together may be engaged or disengaged by the use of a wrench which would be inserted axially through one or the other of the rotors for engagement with the holding means so that the latter may be turned either for engagement or disengagement. A feature of the invention is a looking means for the holding device which will be unlocked by the insertion of the wrench. The invention preferably involves a locking means which is resiliently urged into operative position so that upon removal of the wrench in assembling the rotors the locking means is automatically made operative.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the specification and claims, and from the accompanying drawings which illustrate an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a part of a gas turbine power plant.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on a larger scale showing the arrangement for holding the rotors together.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the compressor 2 supplies air to one or more combustion chambers 4 in which fuel is mixed with the air and burned to supply power for the turbine 6. The compressor rotor 8 is journalled at its downstream end in bearings 10 located within the annular arrangement of combustion chambers, and the turbine rotor 12 is connected to the compressor rotor in alignment therewith so that the rotors operate in unison. In the arrangement shown the compressor is made up of a number of separate discs 14 which are held together and to an end bell 16 by a series of bolts 18. The end bell has a projecting shaft or sleeve 20 on the outer surface of which the bearings 22 are positioned. The turbine rotor includes a disc 24 on which the turbine blades 26 are carried and a projecting shaft or sleeve 28 Patented Aug. 7, 1956 which is secured to the discs as by bolts 30 and extends forwardly to be securely attached to the sleeve 20.

With reference now to Fig. 2, the sleeve 20 has splines 32 on its inner surface which engage with cooperating splines 34 on the outer surface of the sleeve 28 such that when the sleeves are secured together the splines prevent relative rotation. The sleeve 20 has an inwardly projecting flange 36 engageable by a shoulder 38 on a clamping ring 40 which is positioned within the sleeve 20. The ring 40 is threaded as at 42 to engage with cooperating threads 44 on the inner surface of sleeve 28 in such a manner that when the clamping ring is turned the sleeves are caused to move endwise with reference to each other with the splines 32 and 34 in engagement until a spacer ring 46 on the end of sleeve 28 abuts the flange 36 on sleeve 20. For the purpose of turning the clamping ring 40 the latter has splines 48 on its inner surface which are in a position to be engaged by a wrench 50 (shown in dot-dash lines) which has cooperating splines and which may be inserted through the central opening 52 in the turbine disc 24 and through the hollow sleeve 28.

For the purpose of locking the clamping ring 40 in position the ring carries on a projecting cylinder 54 a locking ring 56 which has splines 58 cooperating with splines 60 on the cylinder 54 and another row of splines 62 to cooperate with splines 64 on sleeve 20. The locking ring 56 is slidable on the cylinder 54, being resiliently urged into the locking position shown by a spring 66 surrounding the cylinder and held in position by a supporting sleeve 68. The latter is locked against axial movement by a snap ring 70 engaging in a groove 72 in the sleeve 20.

The locking ring 56 has inwardly projecting pins 74 fitting in slots 76 in the cylinder 54 and in a position to be engaged by the end of the wrench 50. It will be apparent from the dot-dash line position of the wrench that when the latter is inserted the wrench engages and moves the pins 74 to the left against the spring 66 far enough to disengage the splines 62 and 64. By so doing the clamping ring 40 is freed so that it may be turned for disengaging the rotors.

Separation of the rotors is facilitated by making the ring 68 of such a dimension that it will be engageable by the end of cylinder 54 as the clamping ring 40 is unscrewed. Thus continued turning of the clamping ring will cause the sleeves 20 and 28 to be moved apart positively thereby separating the rotors axially. Assembly or disassembly of the rotors is accordingly made possible by appropriate turning of the clamping ring 40 within the sleeves and so long as the wrench 50 is in the operative position the locking means for the ring are in inoperative position so that the clamping ring may be turned. It will be apparent that withdrawal of the wrench 50 will allow the spring 66 to move the locking ring 54 into the locking position shown so that the clamping ring cannot become disengaged.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment herein illustrated and described, but may be used in other ways without departure from its spirit as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Means for securing together, in axial alignment, two shafts the adjacent ends of which overlap, said overlapping ends having cooperating splines for preventing relative rotation of the shafts, one of said shafts being hollow, said securing means including a clamping ring having external threads thereon, one of said shafts having internal threads cooperating with the threads on said ring, the other shaft having a shoulder engaging with said ring for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in one direction, cooperating radial surfaces on the shafts for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in the other direction, such that when the ring is turned into the threaded shaft, the shafts are locked securely against relative axial movement, in combination with a locking ring for locking the clamping ring against rotation with respect to the shafts, said locking ring being axially slidable within the shaft and having both internal and external splines thereon, said clamping ring having external splines cooperating with the internal splines on the locking ring and one of said shafts having internal splines cooperating with the external splines on the locking ring, and resilient means urging said locking ring into a position to have both sets of splines in engagement.

2. Means for securing together, in axial alignment, two shafts the adjacent ends of which overlap, said overlapping ends having cooperating splines for preventing relative rotation of the shafts, one of said shafts being hollow, said securing means including a clamping ring having external threads thereon, one of said shafts having internal threads cooperating with the threads on said ring, the other shaft having a shoulder engaging with said ring for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in one direction, cooperating radial surfaces on the shafts for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in the other direction, such that when the ring is turned into the threaded shaft, the shafts are locked securely against relative axial movement, said clamping ring having wrench receiving means centrally thereof by which said clamping ring may be turned, the wrench being insertable through the hollow shaft, in combination with a locking ring for locking the clamping ring against rotation with respect to the shafts, said locking ring being axially slidable within the shafts and having both internal and external splines thereon, said clamping ring having external splines cooperating with the internal splines on the locking ring and one of said shafts having internal splines cooperating with the external splines on the locking ring, and resilient means urging said locking ring into a position to have both sets of splines in engagement, said locking ring having means thereon projecting into the wrench receiving recess for engagement with the wrench as it is inserted, such that by insertion of the wrench the locking ring is moved against the action of the resilient means to disengage one of said two sets of splines.

3. In a gas turbine power plant, a compressor rotor having a rearwardly projecting shaft, a turbine rotor having a forwardly projecting shaft, the adjacent ends of said shafts overlapping at a point between the rotors and having cooperating sets of splines thereon in engagement with one another for preventing relative rotation of the shafts, one of said shafts being hollow, and means for securing said shafts together, said securing means including a clamping ring having external threads thereon, one of said shafts having internal threads cooperating with the threads on said ring, the other shaft having a shoulder engaging with said ring for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in one direction, cooperating radial surfaces on the shafts for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in the other direction, such that When the ring is turned into the threaded shaft, the shafts are locked securely against relative axial movement, in combination with a locking ring for locking the clamping ring against rotation with respect to the shafts, said locking ring being axially slidable within the shaft and having both internal and external splines thereon, said clamping ring having external splines cooperating with the internal splines 011 the locking ring and one of said shafts having internal splines cooperating with the external splines on the locking ring, and resilient means urging said locking ring into a position to have both sets of splines in engagement.

4. In a gas turbine power plant, a compressor rotor having a rearwardly projecting shaft, a turbine rotor having a forwardly projecting shaft, the adjacent ends of said shafts overlapping at a point between the rotors and having cooperating sets of splines thereon in engagement with one another for preventing relative rotation of the shafts, one of said shafts being hollow, and means for securing said shafts together, said securing means including a clamping ring having external threads thereon, one of said shafts having internal threads cooperating with the threads on said ring, the other shaft having a shoulder engaging with said ring for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in one direction, cooperating radial surfaces on the shafts for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in the other direction, such that when the ring is turned into the threaded shaft, the shafts are locked securely against relative axial movement, said clamping ring having wrench receiving means centrally thereof by which said clamping ring may be turned, the Wrench being insertable through the hollow shaft, in combination with a locking ring for locking the clamping ring against rotation with respect to the shafts, said locking ring being axially slidable within the shafts and having both internal and external splines thereon, said clamping ring having external splines cooperating with the internal splines on the locking ring and one of said shafts having internal splines cooperating with the external splines on the locking ring, and resilient means urging said locking ring into a position to have both sets of splines in engagement, said locking ring having means thereon projecting into the wrench receiving recess for engagement with the wrench as it is inserted, such that by insertion of the wrench the locking ring is moved against the action of the resilient means to disengage one of said two sets of splines.

5. Means for securing together, in axial alignment, two shafts the adjacent ends of which overlap, said overlapping ends having cooperating splines for preventing relative rotation of the shafts, one of said shafts being hollow, said securing means including a clamping ring having external threads thereon, one of said shafts having internal threads cooperating with the threads on said ring, the other shaft having a shoulder engaging with said ring for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in one direction, cooperating radial surfaces on the shafts for limiting the relative axial movement of said shafts in the other direction, such that when the ring is turned into the threaded shaft, the shafts are locked securely against relative axial movement, in combination with a locking ring for locking the clamping ring against rotation with respect to the shafts, said locking ring being axially slidable Within the shaft and having both internal and external splines thereon, said clamping ring having external splines cooperating with the internal splines on the locking ring and one of said shafts having internal splines cooperating with the external splines on the locking ring, resilient means urging said locking ring into a position to have both sets of splines in engagement, and a stop ring mounted in the shaft having the shoulder thereon and spaced from said shoulder, said stop ring cooperating with said shoulder to limit the movement of said clamping ring away from said shoulder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,052,241 Morgan Aug. 25, 1936 2,266,283 Spengler Dec. 16, 194] 2,516,066 McLeod et a1. July 18, 1950 2,550,580 McLeod et al. Apr. 24, 1951 2,614,799 Judson et al. Oct. 21, 1952 2,650,484 Bujak Sept. 1, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,760 Great Britain at 1903 1; 710,454 France June 8, 1931 

